A Plain Currant Cake

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

1. Butter + milktop 7% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together81,283 recipes

   Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

2. Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together41,516 recipes

   Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).

3. Flour + nutmegtop 8% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together18,623 recipes

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

4. Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together43,450 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).

5. Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together124,287 recipes

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

Flour and butter barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Flour

Forms the main structure of the cake as its proteins and starch set when baked.

Dripping or butter

Adds fat for a tender crumb and rich flavour.

Egg

Binds the batter and helps give the cake structure as it sets.

Baking soda

Reacts with the acid in cream of tartar and milk to release gas that lifts the batter.

Cream of tartar

Provides acid that reacts with baking soda to create rising bubbles.

Sugar

Adds sweetness and helps browning and a tender texture.

The step that matters

Swap the currant

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, butter, nutmeg, egg, milk, sugar, cream):

1. Vanillafits better
2. Raisinfits better
3. Figfits better
4. Currantthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against flour, butter, nutmeg, egg, milk, sugar, cream. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.